Region East Sovereign state United Kingdom Police Cambridgeshire Local time Friday 4:16 PM Post town St Neots | Country England Postcode district PE19 Fire Cambridgeshire Shire county Cambridgeshire | |
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Weather 13°C, Wind S at 13 km/h, 83% Humidity | ||
Eaton Ford is a district of St Neots (wherein the population is included) and is in Cambridgeshire, England. Until 1965 it was a separate village in the county of Bedfordshire, when it was absorbed through boundary changes. Eaton Ford lies on the west bank of the River Great Ouse, on the western side of St Neots. The old village centre is still identifiable with a triangular village green and several old farmhouses remaining amongst the newer houses.
Contents
Map of Eaton Ford, Saint Neots, UK
History
In Anglo-Saxon times Eaton Ford was known as Sudbury but became known as Eaton Ford as it was next to the village of Eatun (now Eaton Socon) and was sited at the ford across the River Great Ouse, the main route from the south to the town of St Neots.
In recent decades Eaton Ford expanded quickly, but generally beginning later than other parts of St Neots which were included in the London overspill programme. From the 1960s until the 1980s there were four main housing developments: the Milton Avenue and Gainsborough Avenue area (the 'Poets' Estate); the Meadowsweet, Silverweed and Burwell Road developments (Bovis Estate); the area around Brook Road and Orchard Road; and the Trafalgar Road / Jutland Rise area (Battles Estate). There have also been a number of smaller infill developments on brownfield sites in the area.
The "battles estate" now occupies the area that from around World War 2 until the 1960s was the site of the "REME Camp" (Royal Electrical & Mechanical Engineers)
As Eaton Ford grew, it absorbed the ancient hamlets of Crosshall Ford and Maltmans Green. The name 'Crosshall' remains in the name of a local school, a road, and some recently erected roundabout signs. Maltmans Green is believed to have been around the area of Milton Avenue.
Government
The second tier of local government is Huntingdonshire District Council which is a non-metropolitan district of Cambridgeshire and has its headquarters in Huntingdon. Huntingdonshire District Council has 52 councillors representing 29 district wards. Huntingdonshire District Council collects the council tax, and provides services such as building regulations, local planning, environmental health, leisure and tourism. Eaton Ford is a part of the district ward of St Neots Eaton Ford and is represented on the district council by two councillors. District councillors serve for four year terms following elections to Huntingdonshire District Council.
For Eaton Ford the highest tier of local government is Cambridgeshire County Council which has administration buildings in Cambridge. The county council provides county-wide services such as major road infrastructure, fire and rescue, education, social services, libraries and heritage services. Cambridgeshire County Council consists of 69 councillors representing 60 electoral divisions. Eaton Ford is part of the electoral division of Little Paxton and St Neots North and is represented on the county council by two councillors.
At Westminster Eaton Ford is in the parliamentary constituency of Huntingdon, and elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election. Eaton Ford is represented in the House of Commons by Jonathan Djanogly (Conservative). Jonathan Djanogly has represented the constituency since 2001. The previous member of parliament was John Major (Conservative) who represented the constituency between 1983 and 2001. For the European Parliament Eaton Ford is part of the East of England constituency which elects seven MEPs using the d'Hondt method of party-list proportional representation.
Boundaries
The boundaries between Eaton Ford and neighbouring Eaton Socon are somewhat vague and mostly not signposted.
The boundary runs alongside the A1 from the North until this road is bisected by Duloe Road. It then runs eastbound along Duloe Road until it reaches the junction with the Great North Road. The boundary then "dog-legs" along the Great North Road, meaning that to the East is Eaton Ford and the West is Eaton Socon. About half a mile south of here, Duloe Brook runs under the Great North Road, and the boundary again changes course to the East. Everything south of the line here belongs to Eaton Socon, except Field Cottage Road which is generally considered to be part of Eaton Ford.